Speed, I'm curious to know why G'Town seems to have to put you off.
I did my masters work at Georgetown (not SMP, but still in the dept of medicine), and to some extent, I feel that I should defend my alma mater (of sorts...I will always be a Wolverine first
). I thought that the interview was fantastic - parts of it seemed a bit long-winded, but in all fairness it was one of the most thought-provoking and memorable that I've had so far. I believe that the administration really does want you to understand what their curriculum and philosophies are all about, and they truly encourage you to think long and hard about your choice(s). I know that the facilities are outdated, but, then again, so are the facilities at many other schools (yes, even other private institutions...two that I can think of right off the bat).
But it is the faculty at Georgetown that is truly phenomenal. And no, they are not a research giant, but there is more interesting stuff going on in their science buildings (hell, on my floor in the med/dent building!) than you can shake a stick at. If you are interested in research, I think that Georgetown would be a wonderful place to go. In some ways, I think the smaller setting is more ideal. You interact with more departments (many of the classes and research tends to be interdisciplinary) and you don't get lost in the fray like at massive research institutes. It's a matter of quality over quantity. I can think of 4 or 5 labs in my department alone that I would have been absolutely thrilled to be in as a graduate student. And that's just basic research; I haven't even scratched the surface of their clinical research opportunities.
So, yes, there are definite downsides - most notably the cost and outdated facilities (except for the Integrated Learning Center - I thought that was rather unique!), but there is no lack of research opportunities, and the curriculum is quite appealing. There is so much going on at Georgetown...they have a great emerging infectious disease program, health & science policy, CAM, just to name a few. As I said, Georgetown is, by nature, very interdisciplinary. But take it from me, someone who has spent the past year taking in the department of medicine, taking grad and med classes, Georgetown is a great institution and would be a kicka$$ place to spend 4 years.
Go to the damn interview and decide for yourself.
(PS and the lecture note set for Physiology is FANTASTIC!!! You hardly even need a textbook!)
